If ya can't stand the heat
by lovestory121
Summary: ATF AU Vin and Chris argue, Vin tells Chris he doesn't know what it's like to be shooting from somewhere where he can't offer immediate help if things go bad, Chris finds out later when the bust goes wrong but Vin is the one that they cannot get to...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificent seven, or the ATF universe, I think someone named Mog came up with it and I hope they don't mind me borrowing the idea, I just like to write. All mistakes are mine. If some of your ideas are in here, I apologise, I've read all the ATF AU fanfiction I can find, if it's in my story it's coz it seems right.

If ya can't stand the heat

The ATF office was quiet, it was near the anniversary of Chris's wife and son's death and Larabee was in a particularly bad mood, it hadn't effected the cases and 'the magnificent seven' were still the most successful team, but it had been effecting the leader's relationship with his team…badly.

Buck, the only one who knew about the grim anniversary, had been avoiding Chris. He knew from previous experience that Chris was always like this, this time of year. The others, with the exception of Vin had been with the team for just over a year, but none of them seemed to have noticed that Chris had behaved similarly last year. As Chris' oldest friend Buck took it upon himself to get Chris through the rough times. But when Chris was in mood like this the best thing to do was stay relatively close but not say anything that could aggravate him. That way when Chris finally came back to the real world he didn't feel guilty for lashing at anyone who had intruded on his angry form of grieving. However if Chris had any intentions of drinking his problems away, Buck would have intervened.

JD had taken a note from Buck's book, after Chris had exploded at him when JD innocently suggested that the team should go to the saloon and relax for a while. Josiah and Nathan acted as usual but didn't bother Larabee with their usual concerns with the upcoming bust. Ezra didn't let anything show and as usual when he was undercover, did not spend much time at the office. His desk was nearest the door so he could leave without disturbing the others. Vin was the one who took the brunt of Chris's verbal attack, being the newest member of the team, Vin didn't know that Larabee had acted the same last year. The sharpshooter had knocked on Larabee's office door, mentioned that he would have to leave to get into position and had turned to leave saying "Later Cowboy". Chris, who was in the middle of a meeting with Travis had not dealt with the interruption or the affectionate nickname gracefully and the whole thing had blown out of proportion in front of the rest of the team.

"This some kind of joke to you Vin!" The Texan had stopped his exit from the office but hadn't turned around. Shoulder's going up in a defensive posture. "We could die in this bust, you're up safe and snug in the rafters, you do not know what it's like to lose people all you do is shoot them!" All those in the office saw Vin flinch as if he had been punched, but only Ezra, standing in the right place, saw the pain in the blue eyes. Vin's voice was quiet, a poker face that the gambler was in awe of falling across his features, before he turned. "You're the one who don't know what it's like, I may be up, mainly outta harm's way, but that don't not make my job easy! If the bust goes sour I'm the one who can't get down and help ya'll, I'm the one who has to watch, unable to DO anything" he paused eyes burning as he looked around at all the team, drawl becoming more pronounced even as he turned again to the door, "I lost people, I had to watch all a them take their last breath, watch their eyes glaze over as I was left alone again, that may not mean nothing to you, sir" the title was said without respect, "but I lost people, I known y'all for 6 months and already it seems ya'll are the same as the army, alls ya care about is the job not the people pullin' it off". His voice trailed off towards the end and he left without another word, leaving a furious Larabee in his wake.

Travis was the one to break the silence that had descended. "I had meant to talk to you all about Mr Tanner" He turned to face Chris holding a thin file in one hand, "The information you requested, all I was able to uncover was that Tanner's mother died when he was nearly five, she had cancer, couldn't afford the travel to the hospital for the treatment, died after a couple of months, the local authorities found her body when the landlord complained about not getting his rent, report says she was dead for 4 days, Tanner hadn't left her side, told the police to wake her up, spent a couple of days in the hospital she couldn't afford to go to, dehydrated, malnourished, and bruised, the police had to drag him from his mother's side and it seems he put up quite a fight. He was lost in the fostering system after that, doesn't show up again until he joined the army, from what we can work out that was 11 years later" he left the statement there, letting the other agents do the maths themselves.

"But that would make him, nearly 16" exclaimed JD the only one in the office with able to voice that fact. "That's right son, we lose his records again two years later, 18 year old Tanner got taken into special forces, no trace of him for four years, until this year, special forces let him go when he refused a mission, no one but Tanner and them know the details, he was dishonourably discharged and somehow ended up here, seems he did a bit of bounty hunting, that was how he wound up in the middle of your bust 6 months ago. All other records are sealed, the medical ones don't even appear on the system"

Travis looked around at his best team, seeing the shock on all their faces, even the resident undercover agent. "Have you ever been to the range to see the kid shoot? He's got a hell of a shot. Have you ever asked him how old he his? When his birthday is? He doesn't know either, birth records are sealed, we don't know for sure how old he is, Where he lives? Rundown apartment building in Purgatiorio, kid's not got an amazing life Chris. He knows what it's like to lose people. You work best as a team. Don't let something like this break that. That's an order" He placed a hand on the leader's shoulder before he exited the office, heading towards the elevators, to return to his own private office.

For several seconds no one in the office dared to move, finally it was Buck that closed the distance between Chris and the rest of the team. "Pard?" Chris glanced towards him before looking back at the door, taking this as permission to continue, Buck carried on talking. The others waiting for the inevitable explosion. "Travis has got a point stud, I know you don't like thinking about it this time of year but you're not the only one to have lost people. Every one of us has lost someone we care about. You gotta get past this, stop getting mad over their deaths and remember the good times. Vin didn't do anything wrong and you know it". The explosion that the others were expecting was replaced by a long sigh. "You're right Buck, that scrawny Texan just has a way of getting under my skin, I prefer that he's out of danger, hell he's not even really out of danger, I just don't want to lose you guys too, think about it a lot more this time of year, can't help it." "Well maybe you should apologise before you lose one of us unnecessarily?" "Vin's gone Buck. You know he'll be out of contact until after the bust. Stupid stubborn…"

Vin was out of contact, he'd taken off running as soon as he was out of sight, took the stairs to the bottom floor, and was in his jeep and out of the underground parking before, Travis had finished talking about him. Turned his phone and pager off and drove towards the factory where the bust was due to go down. He left his jeep where he told the others it would be, several blocks from the factory. Sneaking in was always easiest on foot. With his rifle strapped to his back it didn't take him long to outwit the perimeter guard and make his way up into one of the chimneys and down onto the rafters just underneath it. From here he could get a good view of the entranceway and, hopefully, where the bust would be going down. Making himself comfortable he set up his rifle and settled in for the long wait for the others. Thoughts flipping back to the fact that he would probably have to leave after the bust. Why had he argued back? He should have just walked out. Movement below him brought him back and he berated himself for not focusing. Allowing all the army training to take over he let his conscious mind ebb away and instinct take over. It was going to be a long wait.

They were all in position. The current bust was taking place in an old smelting factory, on the outskirts of Denver. The factory looked decrepit, and was substantial in size, sprawling several hundred feet to make a perfect square, the windows were smashed or had spider web like cracks running through them. The chimneys were exceptionally large in order to release all the fumes and smoke from the large vats that at some point had contained liquid metal. Metal catwalks criss-crossed over the vats, but looked badly rusted and unstable. A fine layer of dust also coated the floors and most of the equipment. From the looks of it it had been abandoned for several years, but looks could be deceiving.

Intel stated that several gunrunners were using the smelting factory to store weapons and were even attempting to melt down small stolen pistols and use the metal to create larger, more destructive weapons. As usual Ezra had gone in undercover, acting as an interested buyer. A deal had been arranged and was going down any minute now. Ezra and his 'bodyguard' Josiah were to arrive at 9:00pm and that would be when Eddie Monte would show them his ingenious idea of melting down the weapons. Buck, Chris and Nathan were on standby in a nearby van, waiting to move in on the warehouse, JD was in the same van but he was monitoring all the equipment, listening to the conversations that the wires worn by the undercover agents were intercepting. Vin had been in his position for nearly 18 hours, up in the rafters of the building, lying in wait ready to back up the under-covers with his rifle. A small force of local police officers was also lying in wait, around the corner from the factory waiting to be sent in as backup.

At 9:00pm exactly Ezra and Josiah arrived, the car pulled over next to the huge sliding door that was at the front of the factory and the two exited their car. They were greeted moments later by one of Monte's lackeys who lead them through the sliding door into the factory, closing it behind him with a quick glance around. He didn't see the van parked just out of view.

"Ah Mr Monte, a pleasure as usual"

"Mr Stephenson, I trust you are here to watch the genius idea of transforming the smaller guns into bigger ones, not only will they sell for more but they won't have the logo of the company on, no one will know that they were stolen"

Monte waved his hand in a flamboyant gesture and one of the men flanking him, moved off towards a vat. Turning a dial and increasing the temperature of the liquid inside. After several minutes of Ezra and Josiah watching in anticipation steam began to rise from the vat. Up towards the rafters, both exchanged a look knowing that the vat that was heating up was directly under Vin's position.

"Would you like to throw in a weapon Mr Stephenson? Make your mark on this little project?" Ezra's reply was cut off by Chris' voice in his earpiece, "Ez were coming in this is the time to catch them red-handed." "I'd rather not Mr Monte. My fingerprints are not needed at this time"

"Ah how smart of you, but then if you were so smart, you wouldn't have come in wearing an earpiece. Our monitors picked up the transmissions." He waved his arm and several of his men moved forward to crowd around the two agents. "How many of you are there?" he growled, raising his gun.

Ezra and Josiah backed away from Eddie knowing that they should get to the point where Vin was able to take a shot at the men around them. Their prayers were answered when a rifle crack echoed in the factory and Eddie fell down grasping his shoulder, the people surrounding the two ground level agents looked up to where the bullet came from and Ezra and Josiah took the opportunity to break out of the circle and get to the cover of some nearby crates.

Vin saw the bust go bad and readied his rifle, aiming and firing at Monte before his gun was levelled at his friends. Rolling away and into cover as several bullets pinged off the rafters around him he held his breath before rolling into view again and taking down two more of Monte's lackeys both with shots to the leg. Unfortunately he did not see Monte's personal bodyguard start up the stairs towards his position.

Chris, Buck and Nathan burst in a second later, guns blazing taking out all the others left standing, when all the bad guys were down, the five agents on the ground level moved forward to get all the guns out of reach of the gunrunners. Whilst stepping forward Chris called out to his team members. "JD, we need support send in the local PD to pick up the prisoners, Team, Check in"

"Standish, I have not sustained injury"

"Dunne, obviously I'm fine seeing as I'm stuck in the van! On my way in with the PD"

"Buck, standing right next to ya pard"

"Sanchez, no crows this time"

"Jackson, not injured"

"Tanner, someone turn that damn smelting pot off, it's boiling up here"

The last comment had all the other's laughing, despite the fact that Vin's voice had been slightly breathless, no doubt due to the heat. Quickly and efficiently the PD began moving Monte's men out of the factory, leaving Monte under the guard of team 7

"Well you know what they say Junior" began Buck, looking over at JD who'd joined them by Monte, "If ya can't stand the heat, get out the kitchen"

"How bout I just turn the heat up" looking around the six found their eyes on Eddie Monte, he reached to his side pulled out a hidden gun and fired several bullets up towards where Vin was shifting on the rafters. Not even a second later, six bullets hit Monte, one from each of the seven on the ground. He didn't stand a chance.

In the silence that followed the sound of groaning metal could be heard. "Vin?" questioned Chris there was silence for a few seconds before Vin's voice came over the radio, "Get back! Get back now!" Trusting the sharpshooter's instincts the others stepped back to the edge of the factory. The groaning noise got louder until with a snap and an "Aw hellllllllllll" several of the rafters fell towards the smelting pot that had been directly below Vin's position. The clanging of the metal rafters hitting the concrete floor was deafening. Yet the cry of the six on the floor could still be heard as they all called out in unison for the seventh. "VIN!" They ran towards the stairs only to discover that one of the rafters had demolished them entirely. They had no way up.

Vin felt the rafters give beneath him and thankful that he had already been working himself out of his safety harness grabbed his rifle and jumped from the rafters to a nearby catwalk, to the next rafter before halting to catch his breath. The heat from the smelting pot had already left him dizzy and jumping along the precariously balanced beams did not help, he heard the metal of the rafters clang as the hit the floor and closed his eyes to catch his breath. Opening his eyes slowly he took in his current situation. Bullet-graze to the left arm, no other damage. He could hear the others in his earpiece trying to contact him, a quick glance around and he noticed a form on a catwalk to his left, not one of the guys. "Damn it all, I'm fine guys, got company s'all"

The agents on the ground looked at each other, the sound of several gunshots had them all moving as one towards the noise. Stopping in the middle of the factory they looked around, the cavernous ceiling of the factory looked miles away and the walls stretched out for several hundred metres, light glancing off metal caught Chris' eye and he moved over to find Vin's rifle on the floor. He picked it up and looked at it. _Vin was right, I didn't know what it was like to not be able to do anything if the bust went bad, well now I do and I'm sorry. _Buck's hand on his shoulder brought him out of it.

"We gotta get up there" JD's voice, "I'm afraid Mr Dunne that at this moment we cannot, the stair that were demolished at the entrance were the only access to the catwalks, I studied the blueprints." Josiah spoke next into the earpiece "Vin?" several seconds before "Can't really talk right now Josiah" "There's a small switch on your earpiece. It'll make it transmit continually rather than you having to hold down the button". Several more seconds before Tanner's breathing could be heard over the radio. "Think I got it" "Okay now can you tell us where you are?" Another gunshot and the sound of a bullet ricocheting of metal, followed by a growl. "Tanner tell me that didn't hit you!" "M'fine, just shrapnel is all Sir" "Vin you don't have to call me sir, I'm sorry I was outta line earlier" Footsteps and rationed breathing, "Ain't really the time for this Chris, got a problem of my own up here"

That sentence was all it took, the transition from Sir to Chris, meant that Vin had forgiven the leader, but would deal with the fallout later. The attention of the grounded agents was drawn to two figures jumping from rafter to catwalk, rapidly making their way back towards the entrance. Within seconds all guns were drawn and pointed upwards but none fired, they couldn't get a clear shot without risking hitting Vin. They could only follow as the figures ran around the factory, out of reach of their help.

Several tense minutes and two laps of the factory later and the six agents of the floor could see that Monte's man was getting tired. Almost back to the entrance of the factory they looked up in time to see Vin get cornered by another round of gun fire, pulling himself up so he was parallel to a rafter, the bullets pinged off the metal harmlessly. Vin didn't move from his position, a waft of smoke from the smelting pot confused the henchman and he ran towards where he had last seen Vin, thinking that the sharpshooter had used the steam as a cover to get away. All those watching flinched in sympathy as the goon was taken down by an accurate and timely kick from Vin as he swung himself from the rafters. Knocking the gun away. It flew from the hand of the man, into the smelting pot. The 'shing' of a knife being drawn could be heard over the earpieces followed by another seconds later.

The six below could only see shadows, weaving and lunging at each other, assuming that the one with greater agility was Vin, seeing as they now knew of his history in the special forces, all members of the group didn't doubt that Vin could take out one hired thug. After several tense moments two knives went flying off from the catwalk and landed on the floor with duel clatters. "Well" began JD "at least now the bad guy don't have a weapon either"

Vin heard his words and a small lopsided smile grew on his face, JD was nothing if not optimistic. His opponent ducked and pulled up a chain that had obviously been used as a pulley to raise and lower objects into the smelting pots. He deftly leapt back as the perpetrator swung the chain around. Feeling the air brush his cheek as the chain missed him by inches. It soon became a deadly dance, Monte's bodyguard attacking and Vin dodging, both stepping forward and back, the movements almost graceful. Chris knew it was only a matter of time before one of them messed up. Dragging his eyes away he turned to the others, "we need to get up there", slowly their eyes moved from the two combatants to their leader. It was Nathan who spoke first, "That guy's got a chain from a pulley maybe there's more near the other vats, one of us got get up there if the others pulled the chain."

None of them got as far as the nearest chain. They all froze as once again the sound of straining metal filled the factory. They all saw the catwalk beneath the two men drop an inch as the supports gave out and saw both the men go down, as the sudden movement unbalanced them. Saw them both seem to look at each other, before the henchman swung the chain again, trying to still get Vin despite the fact that both of them were in a dangerously unbalanced position. Vin who was just getting to his feet was caught in the leg by the chain and fell back down with a yelp, causing the catwalk to drop a little more. The henchman fell again but he slipped off the other side of the catwalk and fell towards the smelting vat underneath. Dragging the chain, and Vin, with him towards the vat that still hadn't been turned off. "Vin grab something! Grab something and do it now or you're gunna end up in that vat with that guy!" Chris was yelling as if raising his voice would get Vin to react faster. At the same moment both Vin and the falling bad-guy grabbed the rail of the catwalk. Vin moving over a rafter in a move that confused all those watching but made sense, when the catwalk beneath them gave out completely. Both men were now suspended only by the chain balanced over the rafters. Vin shooting upwards as the larger and broader body-guard's weight pulled him down. As Vin hit the rafter with a grunt of pain, the jolt sent down the chain caused the henchman holding the chain to let go and fall into the smelting pot. For several seconds his agonised screams could be heard, before he sunk under the molten metal. With no weight on the other end of the chain, Vin too, started to fall down. Dazed from hitting the rafter he didn't even realise that he was falling.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

If ya can't stand the heat

The chain around his ankle caught him 5 inches above the smelting pot, suspended upside down. The heat was unbearable. Thankfully his earpiece hadn't fallen out in the drop and after several seconds of trying to draw in air he heard the others through it.

"Vin answer me right now are you okay?" Chris predictable

"Come on Junior say something to us" Buck equally predictable

"Vin! Answer our associates" Ezra…not so predictable

"Ez" Vin's voice had a wheeze to it "Did you just call me Vin?" Ezra huffed out a laugh. "I believe I did Mr Tanner"

"Vin I know you don't want to think about this right now, but I need to know if you're hurt" Nathan, once again predictable.

The others listened expectantly, Vin hadn't been hurt yet in the time that he had been with them, well not seriously anyway, but he'd kept the small things hidden. The rest of the team had been worried when Vin hadn't turned up for work and he was usually there early, lounging on his desk with a cup of coffee. When he was two hours late, Chris was about to go out and look for him, when Vin walked casually in, and sat down at his desk. Chris was reaming into him for being late and not calling them to let them know, when, JD noticed the bandage. It was small and almost hidden under the t-shirt, but when Vin moved his arm in a placating gesture towards Chris, the short sleeve shifted just enough for JD to see the white contrasting against the dark grey top. JD had asked Vin if he was okay and Chris froze in the middle of his rant, he hadn't even considered the possibility that Vin might have been hurt. It turns out it was only a small cut, that hadn't even needed stitches, although Vin had refused to tell them how he'd got it.

They heard Vin muttering over the radio catching only the odd word, "Damn" "Mother hen" "After myself". Buck started laughing. Having figured out what it was that Vin had been saying. Nathan just stood staring expectantly at Vin as if staring him down would get him a straight answer. "I'll be fine as soon as ya get me away from this vat!" Buck and Josiah immediately headed over to the controls, trying to figure out what Monte had done to turn it on. Chris and the others headed over to the chain by the next vat, JD and Nathan hauling both Chris and Ezra up onto the unstable catwalks, using the next chain along. All the while the six men could hear Vin's soft gasps as he tried to breathe through the heat and steam coming of the vat, five inches from his nose.

Two minutes later Chris and Ezra were at the catwalk nearest the Vat that Vin was hanging above. The chain that was saving his life was stuck on the rafter that Vin had climbed over earlier somehow, as Vin had been falling, the side of the chain, no longer held down by the weight of the thug had hooked around itself and had jammed just in time to save the sharpshooter's life but still leave him in mortal peril. Chris and Ezra decided that their best bet would be to try and raise Vin up and move the pulley away from the Vat. Therefore moving Vin away from the Vat too. Chris boosted Ezra up towards the chain and the undercover agent grabbed the knotted part of the chain allowing his weight to pull it down. Vin was now completely unaware of the immense heat coming off the smelting vat. In his black fatigues the heat had caused him to pass out. He didn't move a muscle when Standish's weight raised him away from the warmth. Once Ezra's feet were on the catwalk, he and Chris started pulling the chain to raise Vin further.

Back on the ground Buck and Josiah were staring at the controls with no idea which button did what, none of the buttons were labelled and they didn't want to take risks with one of their own being on the line. Looking back up at Vin's form hanging limply above the Vat and Ezra and Chris working on pulling him higher they decided that Vin was out of harm's way for the moment. They pushed the button that Josiah thought he had seen Monte press to activate the Vat. With a whirr of machinery the pulley that had Vin suspended moved sharply away from the Vat, the sudden pull dragging Chris and Ezra with it. With no one steadying the chain, Larabee and Standish swung around Vin, before grabbing onto the lax form of the Texan, leaving all three hanging above the factory floor. Fortunately away from the vat, unfortunately with no easy way to get down.

JD and Nathan, who had been watching and trying to help direct the two pulling Vin to safety, ran after their three friends as they were dragged from the Vat. Buck and Josiah shared a look before simultaneously saying "Whoops"

Chris and Ezra knew that they would not be able to hold themselves in their current positions for long. Despite the fact that the chain around Vin's ankle would keep him from falling, both the leader and the gambler, had a hold of him with one hand, and were holding themselves up with one hand.

"Well, this is a rather unpleasant situation"

"Buck, get us down!"

Then a weak, raspy voice, "Nice view" Everyone heard Vin as his earpiece was still transmitting continually. So they heard his soft laughter as all of them jumped to look at him at once. "Nice of you to join us Mr Tanner"

"Don't tell me ya'll are stuck up here with me?"

"For the moment yes"

"Damn Ez, thought I taught ya better than that"

"On the contrary Mr Tanner, you are always endangering yourself for one of us, I thought it was about time one of us endeavoured to reciprocate"

"Well good job savin' me pard"

By the tone of Vin's voice Ezra could tell that he was joking. But seemed unable to come up with a retort. Mouth opening and closing as his brain kept coming up short. He didn't know when but Tanner had gotten under his defences. Before the sharpshooter, Ezra had been the newest member of team seven, and his upbringing, much like Vin's, had taught him not to let people get close. They were either after something or they would hurt you. The others had tried to draw him out but had been unsuccessful. After joining the team, Vin had Ezra at the saloon with them within a week. None of the others, including Ezra himself, could explain it. But the scruffy Texan had somehow gotten past his barriers and in the process had drawn him and the other members of team seven closer together as well. Before the undercover agent had felt like the outsider, now he and the others were more like a family than an ATF team. Buck openly teased him, but he knew the womaniser didn't mean anything that he said. Chris seemed to have dropped the trust issues he had with the former con-man, JD looked up to him and had asked him for advice on several occasions. Josiah had a sense of humour that the southerner appreciated, the ex-priest, seemed to laugh in the face of death and on several occasions had said something that was seemingly innocent but had helped Ezra deal with both his conscience and demons from his past. He and Nathan had had a bit of an issue when Ezra first joined. Rather than let the medic help him with a dislocated shoulder, the gambler had insisted that he was fine. A little trickery on Jackson's part had eventually forced the issue, and after that the former con-man was more willing to let Nate help him with his injuries. But out of them all he was closest to Vin. He appreciated the wry humour that the Texan possessed and the way that he went out of his way to help people in need, he saw life in a totally unique way and always surprised the gambler by helping see things for how simple they were. They had had much in common despite the fact that they appeared so different.

Ezra had been the only one out of the seven, with the possible exception of Chris, to know about some of the time that Vin spent in foster care, and at the orphanages. Despite the fact that Maude had always left Ezra with various family members, Standish knew what it was like to believe that you were unwanted. That was what made team seven so important to him. He felt wanted and needed. He knew that Vin felt like that too. They had only known each other for a short while but it seemed like they had always known each other. Without realising it the agent increased his grip on the sharpshooter, if Vin realised this he didn't mention or react to it.

Vin snorted a laugh. Relieved at hearing that Tanner was alright, JD headed over to the controls and Buck and Josiah. Leaving Nathan to once again question whether Vin was injured seriously or not. Joining the others by the control panel, JD didn't make his presence known straight away. Instead he listened to the conversation currently taking place between his surrogate older brother and the preacher.

"It was your idea!"

"My idea, brother, you were the one that pushed it."

"But you said that that was the one Monte pressed"

Deciding that he should probably make himself known, JD cleared his throat and had to fight to keep a straight face as the two older men, span to face him, with innocent expressions on their faces. Before realising it was just JD. "You guys mind if I take a look at it? It looks pretty much the same as the ones that we used to have back in Boston." "When did you work in a smelting factory son?" Buck look genuinely surprised at that revelation. "When ma was ill, I took up working anywhere I could to pay for her treatment, she weren't too pleased about it, but weren't nothing she could do either."

Both men saw tears in the younger man's eyes and decided to head other to the others, to give Dunne a moment to compose himself and to let him work the controls. They joined Nathan under the others.

"Brother Vin, you through hanging around for today? Got us some paper work back at the office."

"Thought Chris would want us to get started on it, but he seems just as caught up in not doing it as you"

Despite the others trying to lighten the situation with humour, Vin still felt pretty rough. The bullet graze was still seeping blood, he had several cuts and bruises from the 'shrapnel' that one of the bullets had caused, and his head was killing him from where he'd hit the rafter, which was not helped by the fact that the longer he stayed suspended upside down the worse the dizziness got. Still the fact that Buck and Josiah were making jokes must mean that they had everything under control.

JD's voice came over the radio. "I think I've found the button that should lower you guys down, I'm not sure coz the controls are different to what I remember but I can try it if you want"

Chris was the one to respond. "Okay JD thanks, press it when I tell you to. Buck, Josiah Nathan, get ready to help us get this chain off Vin." The three on the floor below moved so they were almost directly below the three suspended and nodded to Chris when they were ready.

"Alright JD, press it"

There was a clang from the pulley that had them suspended and all three looked up, in time to see the chain disengage from the pulley completely. Chris and Ezra had time to share a look before all three of them started falling.

They landed, neatly on top of the other three, all six of them ending up in a heap on the ground. JD came running over and helped Ezra get off of Nathan. "I'm so sorry Chris I thought that, I thought , I didn't think it would do that!"

Chris pulled himself off of Josiah, looked to the youngest member of the team and shook his head, for a moment JD thought that Chris was mad at him, but a closer look revealed that the leader was grinning. "Don't apologise son, you thought it was the right thing to do, besides it was a lot quicker" JD returned Larabee's grin and all eyes turned to Vin and Buck who were still on the floor. Vin was sprawled across Buck's back, whilst the moustached agent was face down on the floor.

"Mind getting off me junior"

Vin rolled off of Buck onto the floor, lying face up, the chain still caught around his ankle. Chris knelt down by his side, whilst Nathan started to remove the chain.

"Figure I owe you an apology" The leader didn't know whether to be concerned or offended at the surprised look on Vin's face. It was like he hadn't expected an apology. But then again thinking back to what Travis had said earlier, maybe that wasn't such a shock. Deciding to just get it over with, Chris carried on. "I'm sorry for blowing up at you in the office", Vin gave him a small, lopsided grin. "It's fine, I know you were just grieving, in your own unique, angry, permanently scowling, way" This got a laugh out of the others gathered around, but made Chris realise what Vin had been trying to do. He should have known that the quiet man had figured out what was bothering him, it was almost scary the amount Vin could pick up just from watching people. But he had been trying to draw Larabee out of his grief, lighten up the tension in the office with the familiar nickname. He placed a hand on Vin's shoulder again communicating, non-verbally, that he was sorry. Blue eyes found his and Vin nodded, understanding what was being said, without a word passing between the two of them.

Chris directed his gaze towards Nathan next, raising and eyebrow so the medic would fill him in on Vin's condition. "He don't seem to bad off, got a bullet graze but the bleeding is practically stopped and I don't think it'll even need stitches, there are some small cuts and bruises, and I think he has a concussion, probably slightly dehydrated from the heat, but other than that I'd say he's not too bad off. Shouldn't even need a trip to the hospital. We just keep an eye on him overnight and bandage up that graze and Vin'll be fully healed in maybe a week."

During Nathan's talk Vin had propped himself up on his elbows. Now that Nate was finished he pushed himself to his feet. Almost falling on his face as the dizziness returned. Several pairs of hands grabbed him and, when his vision cleared, he found himself supported by Chris and Buck one arm pulled across their shoulders. Raising his head he met Ezra's gaze. "I do believe we should get Mr Tanner to a bed with all due haste, his pallor leaves a lot to be desired."

Unable to work out what Ezra was saying as his mouth was moving, but not in time with the words, Vin let the others guide him to the van and was asleep before Chris started issuing the others orders.

He awoke at Larabee's ranch in one of the spare rooms. He opened his eyes slowly and didn't move a muscle, a habit from the special forces that he hadn't been able to break. From the light coming in through the curtains he guessed it to be around midday. Meaning he'd been out for over 12 hours. Not surprisingly he could hear the other six moving around the ranch and teasing each other. Buck, JD, Ezra and Josiah all seemed to be 'discussing' what to watch on the TV. Looking around the room he saw Nathan and Chris in chairs on either side of the bed. Chris was asleep, his head propped upon his hands. Nathan reading a book about field surgery. Looking at them both triggered memories, of being woken up every couple of hours in the night, that he hadn't even realised he'd forgotten. Closing his eyes Vin allowed his mind to drift. Maybe he wouldn't have to leave after all. He was quite happy here and Chris had apologised, which he hadn't been expecting. With a small sigh, he assured himself that there wasn't much more he could do with his, unique, skill set, and decided to let the next couple of months play out. If the others were as he thought, and not like the army had been, he could see himself working with them for as long as he was able. If they weren't he would leave as and when he wanted.

Unaware that Chris had awoken when he sighed, Vin literally jumped when he felt a hand on his arm. "Thinking mighty deep there cowboy" the nickname was emphasised and Tanner found himself smiling despite everything. "I think you owe me a drink pard" this caused both to laugh. Nathan however was not so pleased. "you are not drinking alcohol, until I say you can" "Until you say what?" "that you can drink alcohol" "I can why thank you Nate" "That's not what I said and you know it!"

Looking from the sharpshooter to the medic, Chris found himself smiling at the playful banter between the two, finally convinced that things were as they should be again.


End file.
